The present technique relates generally to spray systems and, more particularly, to industrial spray coating systems. The present technique specifically provides a system and method for filtering particles from a fluid in an enclosure for a spray coating device by enabling fluid flow through three materials of varying degrees of density to remove particles.
Spray coating devices are used to apply a coating to a wide variety of product types and materials, such as wood and metal. The spray coating fluids, such as paints or stains, used for each different industrial application may have much different fluid characteristics and desired coating properties. For example, air atomizing spray guns may cause particles of atomized viscous paint to become airborne during the spray process. Some of the particles or droplets viscous of paint do not attach to the target object. The remaining overspray particles in the air make the air unsuitable for the environment outside the booth and undesirable for health and environmental reasons. Further, paint droplets may attach to the booth walls or ceiling. In addition, droplets of the coating fluid may be removed from the air within an enclosure to comply with environmental regulations and to enable a subsequent application of a different coating, such as a different paint color. In order to remove a significant amount of particles from the air being filtered at an acceptable rate, high density material may be used over a large surface area, requiring a significant force, such as a vacuum, to draw the fluid through the material. The fluid forcing device, such as a fan, and the energy required to run such a device can be costly to purchase, operate, and maintain. In addition, blocked filters degrade the air flow across the booth, which in turn deteriorates the transfer efficiency of the coating applicator system. Thus, blocked filters require addition coating material to be applied.